A cycling paceline is faster and more efficient than any solo rider.

What We Do

We partner with CEOs, their teams, and investors on value creation — sharpening strategy, accelerating growth, and driving operating results. Our work sits at the intersection of product, go-to-market, and operations.

Recent Advisory Projects

• Created ICP and GTM clarity for stealth mode AI native productivity startup
• Advised CEO on line extension using AI to create new, high margin revenue
• Provided Product Management leadership for new AI travel product
• Advised PE client on domain industry entry/investment
• Worked with CEO to develop case to Board for new product line

Track Record

A few highlights from operating leadership roles.

• Lighthouse (Chief Solutions Officer, 2019–2025): Led client functions delivering the vast majority of company revenue. Over a 5-year tenure, multi-folded the topline with industry-leading retention. Built a market-leading AI revenue line and grew the SaaS line from near-zero to one of the company's top profit contributors. Tenure ended with revenue run rate at company-record levels.
• Donuts / Identity Digital (CRO → COO, 2016–2019): Key exec on $500M+ sale to Abry Partners. Transformed revenue mix from channel domains to direct SaaS to $500K+ platinum sales. Rebuilt GoDaddy partnership; added Squarespace, WordPress, Alibaba.
• Nuance / Jott (Co-founder Jott 2006–2009; VP/GM Nuance 2009–2013): Founded Jott; grew 0 → 550K registrants with no paid marketing, featured in Apple advertising. Acquired by Nuance. Scaled to 80M+ paid users on 5 continents generating $50M+ cash flow. Led $105M Spinvox acquisition.
• Amazon Customer Reviews (Director, 2015): Turned around ~100-FTE team responsible for one of Amazon's highest-traffic systems — 80M+ reviews ingested per month, 800K+ TPS serving review and answer content across every shopping surface. Halted attrition slide, rebuilt PM + engineering leadership, shipped first algorithm-based review score mitigating content aging, fake reviews, and volume bias.
• Expedia International (under Microsoft, 1996–1999): Built from 4 to 40+ FTEs in 4 countries. Grew 0 → 250K tickets/year and $100M+ gross bookings. Delivered company-first merchant fare model that became core to Expedia profitability worldwide.
• Microsoft Office (Senior PM, mid-1990s): Built the "Opportunity Map" presented to Bill Gates that steered division product + GTM investment. Led three annual Strategy Reviews with Gates and ExecStaff.

How We Work

• Retainer-based engagements with defined time blocks and deliverables
• Minimum one-month commitment, typically two to three months
• Maximum three to five concurrent clients for focused attention
• Seattle-based, serving clients nationwide

In House Innovation

• We do not just talk about AI, we live in it. Current projects:
  • Tocc.contact: AI inbound email management for SMB, Creators, Sales & Marketing
  • Tocc.ai: Make email threads smarter - put agent@tocc.ai on the to: or cc: line
  • CheckThisEmail: Service for seniors to help them avoid scams

John Pollard, Principal

John is a technology executive and operator who helps companies scale with clarity, speed, and disciplined execution. He blends deep operating experience with a builder’s mentality—cutting through noise, aligning teams, and driving results that show up quickly in revenue, margin, and product velocity.

He’s led organizations through growth, turnarounds, integrations, and major strategic shifts. As a multi-exit founder and C-suite operator across public, PE-backed, and VC-backed companies, John is known for diagnosing fast, simplifying complex environments, and creating the conditions for teams to execute at a higher level.

John has built and scaled products across several waves of modern technology—from early consumer software and e-commerce to mobile services, speech recognition, ML, and now applied AI. His work at Microsoft, Expedia, Jott, Nuance, Identity Digital, and Lighthouse reflects a consistent through-line: using technology to raise the performance of people and businesses.

He has significant experience in M&A, integrations, capital strategy, leadership development, and operational excellence. Today, as an advisor and fractional executive, he partners with CEOs and investors to accelerate growth, modernize operations, and apply AI in practical, ROI-driven ways that strengthen the business—not theory, but execution.

His operating philosophy is simple and scalable: Trust → Alignment → Teamwork → Precision → Efficiency → Results.